The criminal case against a Santa Barbara lawyer accused of sexually assaulting an intoxicated woman is proceeding after the alleged victim gave a detailed account of the encounter in court.
Andrew Alire, a former Santa Barbara County deputy public defender who later established a private law practice, was arrested in March 2025. He has pleaded not guilty to felony charges alleging rape of a drugged victim and oral copulation of an intoxicated person.
At a preliminary hearing Tuesday, Judge Stephen Foley ruled that prosecutors had presented enough evidence for the case to continue, The Santa Barbara Independent reported. Alire is expected to return to court next month for arraignment on those charges, along with an additional felony allegation of rape by force.
He remains out of custody on $100,000 bail.
The woman, identified in court as Jane Doe, testified that she became suddenly impaired while having drinks with Alire at a downtown Santa Barbara bar in January 2025. She said she repeatedly told him she wanted to leave, but ultimately ended up at his home, where she accused him of assaulting her and forcing her back down when she tried to sit up.
“I kept saying that I did not want to go home with him,” Doe testified, describing what she told an Uber driver who was supposed to take her to another location.
Doe had traveled from Connecticut to visit a friend in Santa Barbara. She told the court that she met Alire through a meetup app on Jan. 14, explaining that she used such apps while traveling and had clearly indicated that she was seeking only a platonic friendship. Messages between the two were presented as evidence.
After Doe told Alire she enjoyed playing darts, they agreed to meet at the James Joyce bar. “I was having a good time,” she recalled.
But after ordering a drink and returning from the bathroom, Doe said she suddenly felt dramatically different.
“It was like a wave of exhaustion hit me almost immediately,” she testified. “I couldn’t stay balanced, and I felt completely unlike myself.”
She believed she had consumed several drinks, although she could not remember precisely how many.
Video from inside the bar, played during the hearing, showed Doe having difficulty standing and brushing Alire’s hand away from her shoulder. Roughly an hour after their arrival, the footage showed her leaning her head on the bar.
Doe said she provided Alire with a friend’s address so he could order an Uber for her. She expected to travel there alone, but testified that Alire got into the vehicle with her and suggested they go to his home to play darts.
“I began telling the driver that I didn’t want to go with the defendant,” she said, “and asked whether he could take me somewhere else.”
When the vehicle reached Alire’s residence, Doe testified that she pleaded with the driver to allow her to stay inside. She said the driver told her to exit because he needed to pick up another passenger.
Doe said Alire then led her into a bedroom, placing a hand on her back and shoulder while urging her to lie down. She remembered being fully clothed when he left the room.
Her next memory, she testified, was waking to find Alire on top of her. She said her jeans and underwear had been removed, while her shirt and sweatshirt had been pulled upward.
“When I tried to sit up, he pushed me back down by my shoulders, neck and arms,” Doe said.
When asked to rate the amount of force on a scale from one to 10, Doe gave it a seven. The court also received photographs documenting injuries she said she sustained.
Doe testified that she dressed immediately after Alire left the bedroom.
“I was exhausted, but I was also frightened and full of adrenaline,” she said. “I just wanted to get away.”
She said Alire offered to drive her home. Doe eventually agreed but gave him a different address so he would not know where she was staying.
During the drive, she testified, Alire repeatedly asked questions about the extent of her intoxication.
“He kept asking whether I remembered how drunk I had been, how embarrassing I was and whether I felt ashamed of what I had done,” she said.
When Alire brought up the possibility of meeting again, Doe said she gave him a vague response.
“I only wanted to get out of the car,” she testified.
After returning to her friend’s apartment, Doe said she showered five times before going to sleep. She later reported pain in her wrists and shoulders, soreness in her throat and genital area, and bleeding.
Doe said she arranged testing for sexually transmitted infections and sought other preventive medical care.
She also contacted a national sexual assault hotline, which connected her with Standing Together to End Sexual Assault, a Santa Barbara advocacy organization also known as STESA.
She later notified police and underwent a forensic examination for sexual assault.
“I felt deeply embarrassed,” Doe told the court about reporting the incident. “I was afraid my name would become public and that it could affect my career.”
During cross-examination, defense lawyers questioned Doe about when she first shared certain details with investigators, including her requests to the Uber driver, being removed from the vehicle and being pushed onto the bed. They also questioned her about her weight, drinking patterns and use of meetup applications.
Doe acknowledged that some information was not included in her earliest interviews with police. She said the first officer asked her for a general description and told her that detectives would follow up with more specific questions.
Asked how her recollection had changed since she initially reported the incident, Doe said her memory was “better, much more sharp.”
Alire continues to hold an active law license. His profile with the State Bar of California includes a consumer alert regarding the criminal allegations.
In a separate account, another woman previously told The Santa Barbara Independent that she experienced memory loss and confusion during an encounter with Alire that did not seem consistent with the amount of alcohol she believed she had consumed. She recalled engaging in sexual activity but said she could not remember the encounter in full.
